Bishop decries creeping totalitarianism of ObamaCare's Mandate

PATRICK BURKE

Pa. Bishop Does Not Recant Saying that Hitler And Mussolini 'Would Love Our (Public School) System' | CNSNews.com CNSNews.com Home Washington National Culture International Entertainment Sports Health Business Weird News News Wire The Right Views Search this site: E-Brief Facebook Twitter RSS LinkedIn Top Nav About Us Resources Send Tips Donate RSS CNSNews.TV CNSNews.TV On the Spot On the Scene The Schein OTJ Golden Hookah Home » News Pa. Bishop Does Not Recant Saying that Hitler And Mussolini 'Would Love Our (Public School) System' By Patrick Burke February 6, 2012 Subscribe to Patrick Burke's posts (CNSNews.com) – The Catholic bishop of Harrisburg, Pa., has apologized for offending anyone with his recent comments that Hitler and Mussolini “would love” the public school system in Pennsylvania, because it is similar to what they sought to create in their totalitarian states. But in a statement issued by the diocese of Harrisburg, Bishop Joseph McFadden did not retract comments he made during an interview on Jan. 24 with WHTM-TV, the ABC affiliate in Harrisburg. The bishop made a comparison between the interests of the public school system and totalitarianism, while discussing what he sees as a lack of school choice in Pennsylvania. “In the totalitarian government, they would love our system,” McFadden said. “This is what Hitler and Mussolini and all them tried to establish -- a monolith; so all the children would be educated in one set of beliefs and one way of doing things.” McFadden’s comments drew immediate criticism from the Anti-Defamation League and the American Civil Liberties Union – which complained that the bishop had raised the specter of the Holocaust. "We respect the Bishop and his position in the Church. We appreciate his commitment the education of children and the viability of Catholic schools. However, he should not be making his point at the expense of the memory of six million Jews and millions of others who perished in the Holocaust," Barry Morrison, Eastern Pennsylvania/Southern New Jersey regional director of the Anti-Defamation League. "The Holocaust was a unique experience. It does not lend itself to inappropriate analogies. We have an obligation to protect the memory of those who suffered because of it from those who would distort it and undermine and trivialize the history of the Holocaust, however inadvertently. Our role should be to honor those who fought to defeat the murderous Nazis, and not to inappropriately draw reckless comparisons." Andy Hoover, legislative director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, called McFadden’s comments, “completely inappropriate.” In a statement on the Diocese of Harrisburg Web site, the bishop issued an apology to anyone who was offended by his remarks, but went on to explain and justify his references to Hitler and Mussolini: “To those who may have been offended by my remarks, I apologize to them assuring them that I purposely did not mention the holocaust,” the bishop said. “The reference to dictators and totalitarian governments of the 20th century which I made i.......